By Nicole Schladt

UK Information Technology  launched a free mobile application called UKMobile that will allow students, faculty and staff to access UK’s directory, campus maps, library catalog and course offerings from their smartphones. UKMobile also features updated news stories from UKNow, popular content from UK’s YouTube channel and UK sports information.

UKMobile can be downloaded for free in the Apple App Store.

“We had about 350 downloads within the first few days, and it’s picked up steadily from there,” UKIT Enterprise Architect Adam Recktenwald said.

It is currently compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, but there are plans to release Blackberry and Android versions in the future, according to a UKIT press release. Other future plans include improved campus maps and features that will aid recruitment and retention at UK.

“This has primarily been a UKIT endeavor, but we will continue to work with several departments across campus to develop specific components,” Recktenwald said.

UKIT has already consulted with the registrar’s office to compile the course offerings component and with the library to develop the library catalog feature, Recktenwald said.

Recktenwald also said that UKIT is working to incorporate myUK into the UKMobile application.

“We have a lot of ideas that we’re trying to explore,” Recktenwald said. “We want to extend (UKMobile’s) features and functionality. This is really just the beginning.”